Cliff Notes – Guglielmo Vicario booing ‘unacceptable,’ not ‘true fans’ – Tottenham’s Thomas Frank
- Thomas Frank condemned Tottenham fans for booing goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario during a 2-1 loss to Fulham, calling the reaction “unacceptable.”
- The defeat marked Tottenham’s third consecutive loss, with Frank noting that conceding two early goals created a challenging situation for the team.
- Vicario acknowledged the boos as part of football, emphasising the need for players to remain focused despite fan reactions.
Guglielmo Vicario booing ‘unacceptable,’ not ‘true fans’ – Tottenham’s Thomas Frank
Under-fire Thomas Frank branded Tottenham fans “unacceptable” for booing Guglielmo Vicario during a damaging 2-1 home loss to Fulham.
Frank watched Spurs suffer a third consecutive defeat in a horror week — following heavy losses at Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain — after they conceded twice in the first six minutes against Fulham, with the second the result of a moment of madness by goalkeeper Vicario.
There was only 136 seconds between Kenny Tete’s deflected fourth-minute strike and a stunning lob by Harry Wilson, which came after Vicario rushed out of his goal and inexplicably cleared the ball infield instead of out for a throw.
Vicario was booed on a handful of occasions immediately after when he touched the ball before a chorus of jeers greeted half-time.
Mohammed Kudus pulled one back for Tottenham in the 59th minute, but there was no grandstand finish as Frank watched his team slump to a fourth defeat in six Premier League games to increase scrutiny on the Dane.
“Definitely conceding two goals in six minutes gives us a mountain to climb. I think it is the classic when you are in a bad spell or a tough spell, things go against you. First one is a deflected shot and the second one is a mistake from Vicario. It happens,” Frank said.
Thomas Frank has defended Guglielmo Vicario after his errors in the 2-1 defeat to Fulham. Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
“I didn’t like how the fans reacted to that. They booed at him straight after and also three or four times when he was on the ball. For me that is unacceptable.
“They can’t be true Tottenham fans. Booing after [the game], fair. No problem, but when we are playing, we need to be together. If we turn it around, we need to do it together. That is hugely important for me.
“Then we rushed first half. I think the team was a little bit shellshocked after the two goals.
“Second half I liked much more, scored a good goal, had opportunities to score the equaliser. Unfortunately couldn’t get it.”
– Ruben Amorim: Patrick Dorgu nervousness shows Man United pressure
– Spurs lose again at home as Fulham turn up heat on Thomas Frank
– Leeds boss Daniel Farke accuses Man City’s Donnarumma of ‘faking injury’
Vicario fronted up after another dismal day for Spurs at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where they have won only three of their last 21 league fixtures, and insisted being booed was “part of football”.
He told Sky Sports: “It’s part of football, so I am a big man, I am quite older. We cannot be influenced [by] the situation in the stands.
“The fans have the right to do what they think and probably it is on us to stay more calm and focus more on ourselves because we know which is our game plan and which is our strengths.”
It was a special night for Marco Silva after he toasted his 200th match in charge of Fulham with three points.
“A big win, of course a big milestone for me and my staff at the football club — 200 games is a big number in football,” Silva said.
“Of course first 10 minutes we score twice and it gave us that confidence and the boost we needed.
“We knew it was a chance to change our away form because we knew in terms of results they have not been that good at home.”